Tears Fade Away, but Scars Stay the Same, chapter 12
"Good job, Adie," Billie said as Adrienne accepted her second place prize. Mike nodded in agreement with Billie.
"Yeah... good job," I said flatly. They gave me a weird look. "What? You expect a back flip?" I snapped.
"No, I expect you to stop being such a bitch, Esther. What the hell's wrong with you?" Mike asked. I felt tears in my eyes.
"I am not a bitch, and you know damn well what's wrong with me, Michael. Keep your trap shut before I feed your dick to a stray dog," I hissed at him.
"Es, please, will you cool it?" He had pulled me off to the side by now
Author's POV:
"Is she okay?" Adie asked.
"I hope so, she's been a little weird lately," Billie responded, looking over at his distressed friend.
"Good. She's really nice, I just hope nothing comes apart again."
"Yeah, she needs firm ground to stand on... to find someone to stand by her..."
"Mmhm."
"I love you, Adrienne." And he kissed Adrienne quickly on the cheek
"Mike! Stop it! I just want to be alone sometimes and you have to come and pull me aside all the time and act like my mother!"
"I'm worried and I care about you! You fucking need a mother and I'll damn well play the one you didn't have!" Mike shouted, then paused as he realized what slipped through his mouth.
"Oh, God... he did not... just say that..." Adrienne said.
"Yes, he did... fuck..."
Billie and Adie walked over to Mike and his cousin as the people cleared out.
"What the hell did you just say to me?" Esther asked.
"I'm sorry, Es, I didn't mean it, I was ju-"
"Save it." She ran out the door and they went after her.
Esther's POV:
I heard Mike calling after me, but I was already far enough away. I turned and shouted, causing people to stare.
"My mother loved me! She did care! You will never replace her! Your mom won't, Billie won't, not his mom, Adrienne - NO ONE WILL!" I started running again, but not to home. Wherever that was.
About fifteen minutes later, I collapsed under a tree in front of the school. It was dark out and I knew my aunt would be pissed when I came home late, but I didn't care.
"Esther, dear God, don't do this." Mike came running up.
"Get the fuck away from me," I said, hearing my voice start to crack.
"No, you're coming home."
"I have no home, you lousy fucker!" He grabbed my arm and I pulled away and stood up.
"Yes you do - with Mila, me, and my mom."
"Mike... I wanna go home. This isn't my home. I miss Jersey. Yes, I had a broken family, where my parents fought, my dad killed people in his family, and I saw him kill both of them. But still... that was my home. My room, my friends, the school... I miss it, Mike. I want to go home." I started crying and Mike held me.
"I know you want to go back there, and I know you miss them... but... you can't go back there, you can't take care of yourself. We love you, Esther, you live here... at your new home, your second home. When we can, I'll take you back there myself. Promise." I nodded.
No matter what, Mike was my cousin and I would always have that family love for him. Ever since I moved here, he looked out for me.
"Where are Adrienne and Billie?" I asked,
"They went back to their places. And we're taking you home now," he said.
***
The next morning I woke up and heard the rain outside. I put a pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep, but Mike was already up and I heard him talking on the phone.
"Who's that?" I asked him as I sat down at the kitchen table across from him.
"Billie, his mom's getting married in a few weeks, she's been engaged for a few months and they've been planning a wedding for a long-ass time now. He hates it, hates the guy, his brothers and sister hate him..."
"Ick, talk about dysfunctional down the road."
"Heh, I know."
Mike went on talking to Billie and I sat there and stared at the wall. It was Saturday and only 10:00 AM. I started drumming my fingers on the table and humming as I watched Mike pace back and forth. After a while, his walking got boring, so I went back upstairs.
When Billie, Mike, and Adrienne were busy, I really did have no life. Never really bothered to make new friends when I moved out here. As I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I kinda regretted not doing that. The only thing on my mind really was that I needed to tell Billie I liked him... and soon.
"Hey, Mike..." I called as I sat up. He came in as he hung up with Billie.
"What?"
"When's that wedding?"
"Two weeks from yesterday, why?"
"Because."
"Because why?" He gave me one of those looks
"Because... I was gonna tell Billie that day."
"Oh... um... that might be a bad idea. Y'know... he'll be pissed at that wedding and won't wanna talk to anyone, so it might be better to wait when he could give you a better response, right?" He asked. I sat there for a minute and tried to think.
"...I guess you're right."
"I'm always right." He smiled.
"Then why are you failing two classes?" I asked as I left the room.
"I'm not failing! F just means... frequently correct. I'm so right that if they gave me an A, people would get jealous! Right, Timmy?"
"Timmy's dead, Mikey boy," I said. His eyes grew wide.
"W-what... TIMMY?!"
"Yup, Myla ate what was left of him yesterday."
"NO!" He sat on the floor and started crying.
"Mike... Jesus, Timmy is in a better place now," I said, trying not to laugh.
"Where's his box?"
"In the trash can..."
"No!"
He ran past me, down the stairs, and started going through the trash can.
"Mike..."
"TIMMY!" Mike held up the empty and dented box and then hugged him. "We'll have a funeral tomorrow afternoon for him." And he kissed Timmy.
"...Should I call Billie and Adrienne then?"
"Mmhm," he said. I walked away to get the phone, asking myself if I really was related to him.
"Yeah... good job," I said flatly. They gave me a weird look. "What? You expect a back flip?" I snapped.
"No, I expect you to stop being such a bitch, Esther. What the hell's wrong with you?" Mike asked. I felt tears in my eyes.
"I am not a bitch, and you know damn well what's wrong with me, Michael. Keep your trap shut before I feed your dick to a stray dog," I hissed at him.
"Es, please, will you cool it?" He had pulled me off to the side by now
Author's POV:
"Is she okay?" Adie asked.
"I hope so, she's been a little weird lately," Billie responded, looking over at his distressed friend.
"Good. She's really nice, I just hope nothing comes apart again."
"Yeah, she needs firm ground to stand on... to find someone to stand by her..."
"Mmhm."
"I love you, Adrienne." And he kissed Adrienne quickly on the cheek
"Mike! Stop it! I just want to be alone sometimes and you have to come and pull me aside all the time and act like my mother!"
"I'm worried and I care about you! You fucking need a mother and I'll damn well play the one you didn't have!" Mike shouted, then paused as he realized what slipped through his mouth.
"Oh, God... he did not... just say that..." Adrienne said.
"Yes, he did... fuck..."
Billie and Adie walked over to Mike and his cousin as the people cleared out.
"What the hell did you just say to me?" Esther asked.
"I'm sorry, Es, I didn't mean it, I was ju-"
"Save it." She ran out the door and they went after her.
Esther's POV:
I heard Mike calling after me, but I was already far enough away. I turned and shouted, causing people to stare.
"My mother loved me! She did care! You will never replace her! Your mom won't, Billie won't, not his mom, Adrienne - NO ONE WILL!" I started running again, but not to home. Wherever that was.
About fifteen minutes later, I collapsed under a tree in front of the school. It was dark out and I knew my aunt would be pissed when I came home late, but I didn't care.
"Esther, dear God, don't do this." Mike came running up.
"Get the fuck away from me," I said, hearing my voice start to crack.
"No, you're coming home."
"I have no home, you lousy fucker!" He grabbed my arm and I pulled away and stood up.
"Yes you do - with Mila, me, and my mom."
"Mike... I wanna go home. This isn't my home. I miss Jersey. Yes, I had a broken family, where my parents fought, my dad killed people in his family, and I saw him kill both of them. But still... that was my home. My room, my friends, the school... I miss it, Mike. I want to go home." I started crying and Mike held me.
"I know you want to go back there, and I know you miss them... but... you can't go back there, you can't take care of yourself. We love you, Esther, you live here... at your new home, your second home. When we can, I'll take you back there myself. Promise." I nodded.
No matter what, Mike was my cousin and I would always have that family love for him. Ever since I moved here, he looked out for me.
"Where are Adrienne and Billie?" I asked,
"They went back to their places. And we're taking you home now," he said.
***
The next morning I woke up and heard the rain outside. I put a pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep, but Mike was already up and I heard him talking on the phone.
"Who's that?" I asked him as I sat down at the kitchen table across from him.
"Billie, his mom's getting married in a few weeks, she's been engaged for a few months and they've been planning a wedding for a long-ass time now. He hates it, hates the guy, his brothers and sister hate him..."
"Ick, talk about dysfunctional down the road."
"Heh, I know."
Mike went on talking to Billie and I sat there and stared at the wall. It was Saturday and only 10:00 AM. I started drumming my fingers on the table and humming as I watched Mike pace back and forth. After a while, his walking got boring, so I went back upstairs.
When Billie, Mike, and Adrienne were busy, I really did have no life. Never really bothered to make new friends when I moved out here. As I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I kinda regretted not doing that. The only thing on my mind really was that I needed to tell Billie I liked him... and soon.
"Hey, Mike..." I called as I sat up. He came in as he hung up with Billie.
"What?"
"When's that wedding?"
"Two weeks from yesterday, why?"
"Because."
"Because why?" He gave me one of those looks
"Because... I was gonna tell Billie that day."
"Oh... um... that might be a bad idea. Y'know... he'll be pissed at that wedding and won't wanna talk to anyone, so it might be better to wait when he could give you a better response, right?" He asked. I sat there for a minute and tried to think.
"...I guess you're right."
"I'm always right." He smiled.
"Then why are you failing two classes?" I asked as I left the room.
"I'm not failing! F just means... frequently correct. I'm so right that if they gave me an A, people would get jealous! Right, Timmy?"
"Timmy's dead, Mikey boy," I said. His eyes grew wide.
"W-what... TIMMY?!"
"Yup, Myla ate what was left of him yesterday."
"NO!" He sat on the floor and started crying.
"Mike... Jesus, Timmy is in a better place now," I said, trying not to laugh.
"Where's his box?"
"In the trash can..."
"No!"
He ran past me, down the stairs, and started going through the trash can.
"Mike..."
"TIMMY!" Mike held up the empty and dented box and then hugged him. "We'll have a funeral tomorrow afternoon for him." And he kissed Timmy.
"...Should I call Billie and Adrienne then?"
"Mmhm," he said. I walked away to get the phone, asking myself if I really was related to him.
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